Lay Me Softly Down

Chapter 7

"And I have nothing in my mind, but I'll survive your naked eyes, I'll survive..."

-David Bowie "Survive"

Harry awoke in an extremely groggy state. He felt a low throbbing in between his eyes, and noted, with a sort of mild surprise, that his glasses were missing from their usual perch on his nose.

In his disconcerted state of mind, it was a moment before he remembered where he was. He raised his right hand to rub the bridge of his nose, and that was when it hit him. He was in a Ministry limousine, riding back to Hogwarts. More precisely, he was sharing the said car with Draco Malfoy.

"Finally up, are we?" Harry blinked drearily, and as his vision slowly focused, Draco's elegant figure came into view. He was leaning up against the limousine's door, and was backlit by a wash of golden-pinkish sunlight.

The light caught his hair, and made it shimmer around his face like some unearthly angel drawn by Michelangelo. He wore a small smirk that spoke of amusement with Harry's obviously disheveled state of mind.

Harry groaned softly, and closed his eyes again in an attempt to relieve the tremendous pressure he felt behind his forehead. Seemingly far away, he heard himself ask, "How long have you been watching me for Draco?" Not out of any real sense of curiosity, but because he wanted to keep his dignity. And in the present situation, it didn't look like he had a lot of that left.

Slowly, the pressure behind Harry's eyes tapered off. When he opened them again, Draco's little smirk was still firmly in place, as if it had been cemented there. Looking down, Harry noticed that Draco was now fully dressed in his school uniform.

His white undershirt was immaculately pressed, his robe was without a wrinkle, and his green Slytherin tie was done in an impeccable Half Windsor style knot. Harry vaguely wondered how long he had been asleep for.

At about this time, Harry noticed that he was still in the same state of undress that he had been when he had gotten in the car with Draco. Clad only in his boxers, and thick Ministry issue blanket, he felt very naked compared to Draco's perfectly put together appearance. Harry found himself wondering how anyone could look so good without the benefit of a mirror.

Draco chuckled softly. "My, my Harry, I didn't know that nearly-nude was in this time of season." Harry sneered. "Go stuff yourself Draco." At this, Draco nearly collapsed in laughter. When he could manage speech again, he waved his hand in an apologetic manner.

"I'm sorry Harry, you're just so bloody fetching when you're sleeping. I couldn't quite bring myself to wake you." Harry's face contorted into an expression that would have been comical if not for its obvious seriousness. "You watched me sleep?!" Harry yelled, a frown beginning to form on his sleep worn face.

Draco began to look mildly uncomfortable. "Well... Yes." He admitted reluctantly while watching Harry's face intently to gauge his reaction to this. To Draco's immense relief, the frown left Harry's face almost as soon as it had come.

"I guess I can live with that. After all, it's not everyday that I get the full attention of the resident Slytherin Sex God." Draco smiled brightly as realization dawned on him. If Harry wanted to play, then they would play.

"I suppose..." The blonde haired youth drawled, expertly feigning boredom in the face of Harry's teasing. "Of course, it's not everyday that I find The Boy Who Lived semi-naked, and at my mercy."

At this, Harry couldn't help but return Draco's teasing grin. He knew perfectly well what Draco was alluding to. In his own, strange way, Harry supposed that Draco's watch over him had been a sort of unspoken "thank you" for what had happened in the forest.

Without warning, Draco slid across the seat in one fluid motion. He stopped inches from Harry's upturned face, and gently plucked his glasses off, once again leaving Harry in a meaningless world of blurry, meshed colours.

Indignant, Harry reached out with both hands, attempting to pry his precious spectacles back from Draco's grasp. His mood quickly shifted to frustration, when, instead of returning Harry's belongings, Draco cast them towards the seat behind them, and firmly, but gently, eased his body onto Harry's slim figure, effectively immobilizing The Boy Who Lived beneath his cat-like frame.

Harry growled dangerously as his hands attempted to find purchase on Draco, only to have Draco pin his arms down as well. Then, unexpectedly, he heard Draco's voice mere inches away from his right ear. "You know, it's never a good idea to tease a Slytherin. Especially a Slytherin who's been watching you sleep."

Harry bucked experimentally under Draco's pinioning weight; secretly delighting in the friction it created. In response, he felt Draco settle himself more firmly on top of him. "Well since you've got me where you want me, I expect you'll be wanting to do something about it." Harry responded, his voice breathy and erratic.

Draco reached out, and gently caressed Harry's cheek, marveling at how small the boy underneath him actually was. Nothing at all like one would have expected after listening to the hordes of Potter worshippers describe him. How he despised them. They went on and on about him, and yet most never even bothered to try to get to know the boy behind the myth.

Thoroughly enchanted with the prospect of a nearly naked Harry beneath him, Draco took his sweet time gently caressing and silently appreciating the 16-year-old youth beneath him, who was now beginning to tremble with what could only be described as desire.

"Harry..." He said softly, as he watched thin streams of sweat break out across Harry's face. "Y-Yes D-Draco?" Harry asked his voice quivering with need. By now, he was starting to buck again, and Draco could tell that it wouldn't be long before he lost all self control to desire.

"There must be endless possibilities in this world of ours, will Voldemort rise again, will Hogwarts still be safe, is Snape still an asshole?" At this, Harry laughed shakily, mentally picturing the sour faced Potions Master alone in his dungeon with all manner of things, just waiting for him to arrive so he could begin a new season of Potter Baiting in earnest.

After a moment, Draco continued. "And I find it pretty insane that we should find ourselves in a situation like this, but now that we are... I don't think I would rather be in this car with anyone else but you." He leaned forward, and wiped Harry's sweaty forehead with his shirtsleeve. The response was instantaneous. "Shut up and kiss me Draco." Harry rasped in a decidedly hot and bothered tone of voice.

With no further ado, Harry slid his arms out from underneath Draco, wrapped them around the startled blonde's back, and pulled him in for a tight, passion filled punishing kiss. Draco felt his teenage hormones kick in almost instantaneously. He responded by craning Harry's head back and deepening the already deep kiss.

While Draco's left hand busied itself with this task, his right hand dipped down and promptly relieved Harry of his boxer shorts. Harry groaned loudly, and took the opportunity to press himself firmly against Draco.

Moments later, Draco also discarded his clothes so that the two of them became entangled in a passionate embrace. So much so that soon you couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. Black upon blonde, olive skin upon white making both one body, unified and inseparable from its counterpart.

Right before stars exploded for the both of them, each managed to call out the other's name. "Love you...Draco!" "Great mate...love you...Harry!" And then there was no more. Hogwarts became irrelevant, Snape became irrelevant, and the Ministry car itself ceased to matter.

The only thing remaining was the two lovers tangled up in each other's embrace, feeling the rhythmic, heartbeat driven heat of the other pressed reassuringly against their skin. The action spoke more than words ever could. *I love you, and I'm not going anywhere.* They fell asleep like that in each other's arms.